A Study of Employees' Perceptions of Leadership Styles and Work Engagement Levels in Ramallah Private Schools: Palestine

Abstract

Background: The exploration of leadership styles holds significance in overcoming challenges within various sectors, including education, where they play a crucial role in influencing work engagement. Objective: The central aim of this study is to dissect the perceived relationship between leadership styles exhibited by school managers and the levels of work engagement experienced by teachers in private schools situated in Ramallah, Palestine. Method: Employing a quantitative approach encompassing a descriptive, cross-sectional design, this study explicitly targets teachers within Ramallah private schools. A convenience sampling technique was employed to select the study's participants, comprising 383 teachers working across private schools. Data collection involved the utilization of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire 5X short form. Results: The findings of this investigation highlight distinct trends. According to the perceptions of the teachers, the transformational leadership style (Mean ± Standard Deviation: 2.34 ± 0.946) and the transactional leadership style (Mean ± Standard Deviation: 2.03 ± 0.686) garnered the highest mean scores. In contrast, the laissez-faire leadership style (Mean ± Standard Deviation: 1.4 ± 0.991) received the lowest mean score. Concerning work engagement levels, the dedication aspect scored the highest mean (Mean ± SD: 4.80 ± 1.380), while vigor registered a slightly lower mean (Mean ± SD: 4.02 ± 1.424). Furthermore, substantial positive correlations were observed between the transformational and transactional leadership styles and the work engagement levels of the teachers (r = 0.591, r = 0.517, P = 0.000), respectively. However, while a negative correlation existed between the laissez-faire leadership style and work engagement levels of teachers (r = -0.023), this relationship did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.64). Conclusion: This study accentuates the influential role of leadership styles in shaping work engagement within Ramallah private schools.